This invention is directed to an improved system for transmitting food orders to a central station. The embodiment described below is adapted for use by a food server in transmitting food orders to a central kitchen, and this embodiment allows modifying information to be incorporated into a food order simply and reliably.
A number of food ordering systems are presently available which include a network that allows a food server to communicate with the central kitchen. The prior art ordering systems of which the present inventors are aware include a hand-held unit which is connected by a wireless transceiver to a central station. The hand-held unit includes keys and displays which the food server uses to enter a food order. The food order is then transmitted via IR or RF techniques to the central station, which prints the food order at the kitchen, and prepares appropriate billing documents.
In the past, it has been conventional to assign code numbers to individual food items, such that the food server can enter a desired item simply by entering the associated code. This approach reduces data entry time, but it brings with it a significant disadvantage related to the recurrent need of the food server to modify the food order. For example, it is often necessary to designate how meats are to be cooked and how salads or drinks are to be prepared. In principle, it would be possible to provide a separate code for each such modifier. However, in many applications this unnecessarily multiplies the number of codes that must be memorized or looked up by the food server.
The present invention is directed to an improved system which allows such modifying information to be incorporated into a food order or other list in an efficient manner.